Device for actuating the controls on aircraft



Dec. 26, 1939.

` R. TAMPIER DEVICE FOR ACTUATING THE CONTROLS ON AIRCRAFT Filed Feb. l,1939 4 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 26, 1939. R TAMPlER l i v2,185,160

DEVICE FOR ACTUATING THE CONTR-OLS ON AIRCRAFT Filed Feb. l, 1939 4Sheets-Sheet 2 R. TAMPIER Dec. 26, 1939.

DEVICE FOR AGTUATTNG THE CONTROLS ON AIRCRAFT 4 sheets-sheet s FiledFeb. 1, 1.939

R. TAMPIER Dec. 26, 1939.

DEVICE FOR ACTUATING vTHE CONTROLS ON AIRCRAFT Filed Feb. -l. 1939 4Shee'ts-Sheet 4 Attorney Patented Dec. 26, 1939 DEVICE FOR, ACTUATINGTHE CONTROLS N AIRCRAFT Y Ren Tampier. Boulogne-sur-Seine, FranceApplication February 1, 1939, sei-m1 No. '254,051 m creat BritainFebruary s, 193s 11 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for actuating the controls onaircraft.

The usual method of actuating the controls on aircraft; for example, thecontrols of the carburetter, is by means of levers arranged to movethrough an angle which does not exceed approximately 90. L

1n the case of big `machines where great loads are imposed on thecontrols, it is not practicable to provide a lever of suiilcient lengthto enable said controls to be actuated with reasonable effort; further,engines of very high power are frequently'mounted at a considerabledistance from the fuselage and unless Vcare is exercised in moving thethrottle control levers, a sudden accelera.- tion to a maximum may provea danger to the wing structure on which the engines are mounted,particularly when the engines are being tested on the ground.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a. device bymeans of which the required movement of the controls may be effected ina seriesvof steps, each of 'which involves little eil'ort.

Other objects of the `present invention are to provide means for brakingthe operating lever orv handle so that when the `pilot moves his handfrom one handle to another the first mentioned handle remains in thesame position; to provide means for arresting or predetermining the exutent of movement of one handle or lever and to provide means by which ahandle may be released from and moved beyond the point of arrestment; toprovide means for enabling two engines, mounted at an equal distancefrom thev fl-fuselage, to be controlled dierentially; to provide meansfor automatically shortening the handles at predetermined points, and toprovide means for automatically turning the handles on their Haxes atpredetermined points.

A device for actuating controls on aircraft made according'to thepresent invention comprisespa shaft arranged at right angles to thelongitudinal axis of the machine, a plurality of hand wheels, eachoperating a separate control,

g mounted 'on said shaft, means for loperating each (Cl. 'I4-471) Meanscomprising a friction element, supported on the adjacent fixed memberland acting on each hand wheel, may be provided for holding any one handwheel in the position into which it is moved.

Means comprising stops carried on the fixed members and adapted toco-operate respectively with stops carried on the hand wheels may beprovided'for arresting the movement of the hand wheels at any desiredpoint. Means may be provided for releasing the stop-mechanism, thesemeans comprising a slidable part on the hand wheel by means of 'whichthe stops are brought` out of alignment.` 4

When, the device according to the invention is intended for use inaircraft powered by two engines, means may be provided for operating thetwo engines simultaneously either differentially or in the same way.These means may comprise an intermediate gear movably carried on theadjacent xed member and adaptedto be brought into mesh with gearingprovidedv on two adjacently disposed hand wheels, the operation of theintermediate gear then operating the two hand wheels in oppositedirections.

Means may be provided for automatically sliding the handles on the handwheels inwards when they reach the predetermined position, whereby whengroups of hand wheels are arranged on parallel shafts the handlesprojecting therefrom are automatically slidden radially inwards whenpassing the spindle on which another group of hand wheels is mounted.This arrangement permits of accommodating groups of hand wheels in aminimum space.

'I'he hand wheels may be mounted on spindles a cam slot and pinconnection being provided between each hand wheel and spindle whereby onbeing drawn inwards the handles on the wheels are rotated around theirspindles.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate how the invention may becarried into eiect;

Figures 1 and 2 are respectively side and end elevations of apparatusaccording to the intention, mounted in a casing;

Figure 3 is a more detailed side view, with the near cover plateremoved, showing various modications that may be adopted;

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are detail views of parts shown in Figure 3, andFigures 7, 8, 8a and 9, 9a

are detail views of modiilcationswhich may be included in the apparatus.

In the drawings, the apparatus consists of two series I, 2 each of four,spoked hand wheels, of which the series i is rotatably mounted on aoommon shaft 3, and the series 21s rotatably mounted on a common shaft31. the shafts 3 and 31 being arranged at right angles to thelongitudinal axis of the machine 1n fairly close parallel relationship,and mounted in a casing consisting of side plates 4, 41 bolted together.'I'he spoked wheels I may be the throttle controls and the spoked wheels2 may be the airscrew controls. The spokes of the wheels I, 2 extendbeyond the peripheries of the wheels and constitute the operating levers5, 51 by means of which the pilot rotates the wheels on which they arecarried for the purpose of operating stepwise the various controls of anaircraft. Each wheel I, 2 has a hub 6 or 61 which carries or is formedwith a pinion or like toothed member 1 in permanent mesh with acylindrical rack 8, a separate rack 8 being'provided for each wheel. Thetoothed members 1 and racks 8 may be replaced by pulleys and cables,chains or the like, or other mechanical means for converting the rotarymovement of a wheel into a linear movement.

Since in a rack and pinion device for converting the rotary movement ofthe hub or wheel into linear movement of a rod or cable there may existor develop a degree of back-lash it is proposed, as shown in Figure 3,to mount each rack in an eccentrically mounted member 9, a slot I0 beingprovided in the gear face of the rack 8 with which the end of a setscrew II mountedy in the fixed part I2 of the casing is adapted toengage, said set screw II passing through a slot I3 provided in theeccentrically mounted member 9 so that when the latter is turned to varythe position of the rack relatively to the pinion 1, said rack isprevented from turning.

As in some cases it may be necessary to move a control wheel throughmore than one revolution, it is advantageous to provide means forindicating to the pilot the position of the control. Suitable means forthis purpose are shown in Figure 3, in which figure one end of a leverI4 is mounted on the rod I5, actuated by the rack 8. The lever I4 ispivoted adjacent its other end to a bracket vI6 mounted on the casing orother xed part, and is connected at its other end to a rod or part I1arranged to actuate an index mark or member I8 disposed in front of asuitably formed scale I9.

When it is desired to provide means for giving a warning to the pilot,"for example, that the under-carriage is not in the desiredposition,/the lever I4 actuating the indicator device may, if desired,lbe arranged to coact at the end of its travel with an electrical switchdevice |41, or a separate lever or other suitable means actuated by thehub or wheel may be employed for this purpose.

With the control levers or handles, I, 2 arranged in the manner abovedescribed, it is only necessary for the pilot to move his hand thedistance existing between two levers or handles, which distance can beset in accordance with some specially required position, such asslow-running, cruising speed or take-0E. The levers or handles may, ifdesired, be of different length and/or of different colour.

In the form described two sets of control levers or handles are mountedin planes parallel with and in close proximity to each other so that thepilot may, if necessary move one or more of said sets together. Howeveronly a single group or set of control levers, or more than two groups orsets, may bevemployed.

According to a further feature of the present invention means areprovided for braking each movable wheel so that when the pilot moves hishand from one handle to another, the wheel will remain in the sameposition. Suitable means for this purpose are illustratedin Figure 3,and in greater detail, in Figure 4. The means comprise fixed members 20each having a flange 2| and each being disposed adjacent to one face ofeach rotatable wheel I, 2. In the case of groups of wheels mounted on acommon spindle the arrangement will therefore be as shown in Figure 2 inwhich the fixed members 20 alternate with the operating wheels I or 2.The flange 2| of each xed member 28 is provided with an enlargementdrilled radially to receive a spindle 22 furnislied t at its outer endwith a knob 23 and at its inner end with a thread 24 on which is mounteda friction member 25, the outwardly projecting portion of which isadapted to bear against the inner face of a flange 26 on the spokedwheel. An elastic washer or spring 21 is interposed between the knob 23and the periphery of the fixed member in order that the degree offriction may be varied as desired.

To provide means for enabling the movement of each rotatable wheel to bearrested at any desired point, the fixed members 20fmay each be provided(Figures 3 and 5) with an adjustable stop 28 with which pins 29 on therotatable wheels I, 2 are adapted respectively to coact. As it may bedesired to move the rotatable wheel past this pointof arrestment, eachpin 29 is mounted on a spindle 30 slidably mounted on'the end of ahandle 5, 51 (see Figure 7) said spindle being maintained in its outerposition by a spring 3|. The arrangement is such that when it is desiredto release one of the handles past the stop 28, the handle part 30 isdepressed, the pin being thereby pushed inwardly below the stop 28 onthe fixed wheel.

According to a further feature of the invention, means may be providedfor simultaneously operating two controls either in the same directionor differentially. For example in certain types of aircraft, it may bedesired to accelerate simultaneously two engines mounted at an equaldistance from the fuselage, or it may be desired to control the extremeouter engines differentially (for example during slowrunning or taxiing)by moving the handles on one wheel forwards and the handles on the otheror adjacent wheel backwards with the same hand; as the distance betweenthe two handles may be too great for this latter operation, the xedmembers 20 disposed between the spoked wheels may each be provided witha support 33 furnished with a radially disposed bore 34 in which aspindle 35 provided with a pinion 36 is adapted to slide against theaction of a spring 31 (Figure 6). They spoked wheels are provided withtoothed quadrants or Wheels 38 extending over the relevant range of theparticular control, with two of which a pinion 36 on a xed member 28 isadapted to coact. When the pinion 36 is in its outer or normal position(as shown in Figure 6) the spoked wheels may be moved independently ofeach other in either direction or together in the same direction, butwhen the pilot desires to obtain a differential movement, the spindle 35carrying the pinion 36 which is furnshed'7i) with a suitable handle 39is depressed to bring the pinion 36 into engagement with the toothedquadrants or wheels 38. The handle onfths spindle 35 is then turned onits own axis and' rotates the two wheels in opposite directions.

arcaico When the pilot removes his handthe diierential gear isautomatically disconnected by the spring 31.

In cases such as shown in the drawings where spoked control wheels aremounted on separate parallel spindles 3, 31 arranged in close proximityto each other, the handles on the 'spoked wheels are preferablyarranged, as shown in Figures 8, 8a, sothat they may be automaticallyshortened as the handles on one wheel pass any other member in theirpath. To this end the xed member 20 is furnished with a cam surface 40with which a small wheel or roller 4| mounted on the inner end of thespring-pressed handle 42 slidably arranged as described with referenceto Figure 7 is adapted to coact and draw the handle 42 inwardly againstits spring at the predetermined position.

In view of the limited space available it is desirable to arrange thecontrol wheels as close to each other as possible, but as the knobs onthe handles are preferably wider in one direction than the other it isadvantageous to arrange said handles so that they are free to turnthrough an angle of 90 in order that. when in use thewide surface and,when 'not in use, the narrow surface, is presented tothe pilot. Asuitable arrangement is shown in Figures 9, 9a in which the handle` 42is furnished with a spiral cam slot 43 .with which a pin 44 on thespindle 45 on which the handle 42 is slidable longitudinally is adaptedto engage, the arrangement being such that when the spindle 45 is drawndown bythe cam slot the handle 46 is turned through an angle of 90.

In a device made according to the invention it will be evident that thehand wheels can be turned through 360 or more and consequently for agiven length of lever the operator can obtain a mechanical advantagerelatively to known arrangements in which as above stated the angularmovement of the control lever does not normally move through an angleexceeding 90. The accuracy of a control according to the invention canby reason of this larger operating cycle. also be greater.

What I claim is: i

1. Ina device for actuating controls on air-` craft, a shaft arranged atright angles to the longitudinal axis of the machine, a plurality ofhand wheels, each operating a separate control, mounted on said shaft,means for operating each of said hand wheels in a stepwise manner, saidmeans comprising a plurality of operating handles projecting radiallyfrom each of said hand wheels, a fixed member disposed adjacent tov eachrotat ably mounted operating member, and an 'operating connectionbetween each rotatably mounted operating member and a controlled elementfor transmitting the rotary movement of the said operating member as alinear movement.

2. In a device according to claim 1 means com-y prising a frictionelement supported on each xed member and arranged to act as a brake onthe adjacent hand wheel for holding said member in a position into whichit is moved. 1

3. In a device according to claim 1 a stop carried on a fixed member,adaptedto co-operate with a stop carried on the adjacent hand wheel inorder to arrest the movement of the said hand wheel at a desired point.

4'. In a device according to claim l a stop 'carried on a ilxed member,adapted to co-operate with a stop carried on the adjacent hand wheel inorder to arrest the movement of the said hand wheel at a desired point,in combination with means for releasing the stop-mechanism, these meanscomprising a slidable point on the hand wheel, by means of which thestops are brought out of alignment.

5. In a device according to claim 1 means for simultaneously operatingtwo controls differentially.

6. In a device according to claim l, means for simultaneously operatingtwo controls dierentially comprising gear teeth on two ladjacentlydisposed hand wheels, an intermediate gear slidably and rotatablymounted on the xed member disposed between the said two hand wheels, andmeans for bringing the said intermediate gear into mesh with the saidgear teeth, whereby rotation of the intermediate gear causes the saidtwo handy' wheels to rotate in opposite directions.

7. In a device according to claim l radially slidable handles to thehand wheels and means for automatically sliding the handles inwardlywhen they reach a predetermined position.

8. In a device according to claim 1 radially slidable handles to thehand wheels and means for turning the said handles through an angle of90 when they are slidden inwardly.

9. In a device according to claim l radially slidable handles to thehand wheels, means for automatically sliding the handles inwardly whenthey'reach a predetermined position, and means comprising a pin and ,camslot connection for rotating the handles through an angle of 90 whenthey are slidden inwards.

10. In a device according to claim 1 an operating connection betweeneachhand wheel and its controlled element comprising a toothed member andacylindrical rack, an eccentric casing in' which the rack is mounted, andmeans for turning the eccentric casing relatively to the rack, wherebyany backlash between the rack and the toothedf member can be taken up byrelative ro- 4tation between-the rack and the eccentric casing.

11. In a device according to claim l an indicating device operativelyassociated with a hand wheel.

REN TAMPIER.

